Days of Auld Lang Syne
by Dreams-Of-Ash
Summary: A Beware the Batman New Year! HAPPY 2014 TO ALL! It's going to be a good year, I can tell!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Beware the Batman. Nor do I own Green Lantern: the Animated Series which I found myself referencing. (If I owned either of these, I would put them in the same universe):)**

* * *

**"Days of Auld Lang Syne"**

The second-floor ballroom of Wayne Enterprises was bustling with activity. Everywhere you turned people were standing on ladders hanging banners from the ceiling, setting up tables, and waxing the dance floor until near transparency was achieved. It was New Year's Eve. Nothing would be done half-way.

"A little to your left… No, you're other left. Perfect! Leave it right there!" With a grunt of exertion, Rex pushed the crate onto the exact center of the stage. Wiping perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand, the disguised element man leaped off the stage.

Sapphire ruffled his Santa hat playfully, stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for that, you."

Rex teasingly rolled his eyes. Straightening his headgear as to not draw attention to his inhumanly-colored head, he joked, "I'm beginning to think the only reason you're keeping me around is to move your furniture."

The blond-haired woman gently slapped his arm, a false pout on her lips. "Rex!"

Rex chuckled, "You know I'm only kidding," running a hand over his damp face, he gestured to the crate he had been dragging around for half the morning. "What two-ton monster did you put in that thing anyway?"

"It's the countdown screen," Sapphire explained. "You remember. We used to have one at Stagg Industries. You were on duty the year it kept breaking down."

Shaking his head, Rex couldn't help but laugh. Watching the two exhausted repairmen stumble into the ballroom had made the lost three hours of sleep worth it. "Good times, good times," Rex mumbled.

"How we doin' lovebirds," Jason Burr materialized out of nowhere, making Rex tense as if preparing for an attack. It was almost creepy the way the guy could sneak up on someone so easily now. After being controlled by Cypher for the better part of five months, the scientist was almost stealthy. As Tatsu commented, he moved like a ninja. It was enough to get them all slightly on-edge, but all the same, less vases broken by his clumsiness meant more sleep.

"Hello, Jason," Sapphire greeted jovially as if nothing had happened. "Happy New Year!"

The scientist offered her a lop-sided smile, "The same to you, Miss Stagg."

Rex lightheartedly punched his teammate's shoulder. "Former ninja, yet you're still nervous around women, aye Jason?"

Rubbing his shoulder, Jason shrugged. "It's not like I _wanted_ to have green prongs stuck in the back of my neck," he protested. "Besides, I'm getting better."

"Better at what?"

Jason visibly blushed, just the voice of Tatsu Yamashiro enough to turn him into a love-struck teenage boy. "N-Nothing," he stuttered as Tatsu stopped between him and Rex.

Shrugging it off as nothing, Tatsu instinctively leaned into the scientist's arm. "I've been dragging tables up from the basement all morning. Mind rubbing my shoulders?"

At Jason's visible gulp, Rex nearly lost it. A strangled sound escaped from his throat as he tried to prevent a laugh from surfacing. Sending the distressed scientist a knowing look, Rex took Sapphire's arm and led her away.

"Poor guy," Sapphire sympathized, glancing over her shoulder at the pair.

Rex snickered, "He'll figure it out by this time next year."

Sapphire narrowed her eyes, a questioning look shadowing her features. "Figure what out?"

"Nothing," Rex insisted, though his face said otherwise. "Nothing!"

Sapphire look unconvinced, but all the same stopped with her protesting. Chances are it was related to the by-monthly "guys' night out," which she would never know anything about. ("We signed a _pact, _Sapphire," she remembered Rex protesting as she and Tatsu backed him into a corner. "If we tell what happens in those meetings, I'll be sentenced to the Chinese water torture!")

The couple dodged people aimlessly for several moments before going to assist some Wayne employees with confetti launchers. It hadn't been a question when Bruce told them he needed them to help set up for the New Year's party at Wayne Enterprises. As they recovered from nearly getting knocked out, patched up wounds, and collapsed into exhausted heaps after patrol, the Batman had more or less drafted them into his army, and disappeared into the elevator. The collective groan at the time had been imminent, but now that they were here, Rex was openly enjoying himself.

With an enormous bang, one of the launchers malfunctioned and confetti went flying everywhere, sending custodians into panic. As the entirety of the "confetti committee" dispersed into random directions to cover for their mistake, Rex stayed where he was, smiling. Despite all that had happened, it had been a good year. For all of them.

**_March_**

_Tatsu Yamashiro was a strong, brave woman. She had lived through both her parents' deaths, endured years of self-defense training, joined the CIA, and excelled through the ranks of the League of Assassins. _

_Yes, she was a well-seasoned warrior, but she was also an experienced killer. She walked the streets of her temporary safe havens with blood on her hands that only she could see. She was well-trained with a sword, a knife, a gun. Yes, anyone could be skilled in weaponry, but what she was capable of what few others were: With her bare hands, two fingers to be exact, she could kill someone. _

_Two fingers. That's all it took, she learned, to take a life. She had learned this through experience- through her own experience. And deep down, Tatsu hated herself for it. _

_So, with that prior knowledge of "Katana," you can more or less sum her up. She is strong, hurt, broken, a murderer. But there is one other thing you must know about her: She never cries. _

"_Hear that, Tatsu," she whispered to herself as she clutched her pillow to her chest. "You never cry…" _

_A drop of moisture slid down her cheek. She sobbed. _

_Broken to the limits with nowhere to go, she was completely alone, on the run from thousands of ninjas, jumping from one country to the next. "I want to go home," she whimpered, crushing her face into the soft hotel mattress. She wanted to go home more than anything, but where was it? Certainly not here in France, or back in Tokyo where shadows of her past taunted her._

_Remembering the vicious blade she kept constantly with her wherever she went, she began to think. Maybe she didn't belong anywhere on this Earth. She had taken so many lives, who says she couldn't take her ow-_

_Her phone when off on her beside. Usually she would simply decline the call, no matter what stranger it was, but this time, out of the small hope that someone would offer to help her, she looked at the caller ID. _

_Her heart skipped a beat. _

_Pressing accept, she turned onto her side and lifted the phone to her ear. Her throat raw, she whispered his name: "M-Major?"_

_**April** _

_Bruce shook his head, groaned for the tenth time in five minutes. He was attempting to think on his current case, yet his mind kept wandering. There was a woman- an obviously dangerous, untrustworthy woman- who happened to be his only companion's goddaughter. _

_Bruce Wayne did not like secrets. One could argue that he was one himself, that his entire act was one big secret. He would agree. But that was one secret that he told the ones- no, the one- person closest to him. People could have their personal thoughts, but Alfred… He couldn't have a secret like this. _

_Attempts to sway the former MI-6 agent were futile. Alfred had officially sunk his teeth into his idea of Bruce having a partner. Even if the butler lost his teeth… He would not be letting go. _

"_Fine then," Bruce muttered, turning to the Batcomputer. _

"_Computer, bring up all files on Tatsu Yamashiro." _

**_June_**

_Rex gazed at his reflection in the mirror with disgust. It must have been hours he had been staring at himself. He had lost the love of his life, his job, all contacts with his family because of this monster that had become himself. _

_How long until the rent on his apartment had to be paid? Would his landlord put two and two together and realize who was living in the building? Yes, he would. Then he would lose his home as well. _

_His anger bubbled, exploded through him ad though he were a human volcano. _

"_AHHHHHHH!" _

_The mirror shattered into a million pieces. Breathing heavy, Rex stumbled into a chair, barely noticing the open window. _

"_Huh?" he breathed. _

"_Don't attack," a woman spoke behind him. "We're here to help." _

**_July_**

_It was a sight to see coming down. Five people, one too large to even correctly fit into the front seat, driving from the airport to their beach condo on Coastal City. _

"_When you said this would bring us closer together," Tatsu muttered to her godfather as she stumbled out of the car. "I didn't think you meant literally." _

_Alfred simply smiled. He had seemingly enjoyed the two-hour drive, wedged between the outdated car's door and Tatsu herself. Of course, with him whipping out the trivia cards and commenting on how good this vacation would be for their tired minds, it was therapeutic for him. _

_Bruce, however, in the driver's seat in broad daily light for the first time in three years, looked to be in a twilight zone. He maneuvered the car impeccably down the crowded roads, but Rex swore the millionaire hadn't blinked twice the entire way down. _

"_Gotham managed years without you, Master Bruce. It __can survive a week," Alfred had insisted when he told him about the team's vacation plans. It turned into a month-long argument as they un-booked and rebooked their beach house. Finally, when the fateful day of departure arrived, Rex had already slung Bruce three-fourths of the way over his shoulder before he agreed to go to the airport. _

_Jason, the newest member of their little "family" climbed out next, followed by Rex. _

_They all waited for Bruce to let go of the steering wheel. Knowing what was about to happen, Rex grabbed Jason by the collar and dragged scientist to stand behind the car with him. With the house on two sides, two people in the back, and two people blocking the final exit, Bruce had no escape. _

_Finally, unsticking his fingers from the steering wheel as if it caused him great pain, Bruce pushed on the door and stepped out._

"_Now hand me the keys," Tatsu demanded, not taking any chances. Bruce's arm moved as if it was robotic, rising perfectly straight, then dropping the contents of his hand as if it were a metal claw. _

_Three days later they were all setting up umbrellas and towels on the beach when a young man in navy swim trunks waded out of the water, clutching his finger. His face was a mixture of seriousness and annoyance, and he moved quickly as if trying to reach his destination quickly. _

_Alfred, acting on instinct, stopped in setting up the umbrella. "Are you alright, sir? You're not injured, are you?"_

_The man didn't seem to hear him, only stuck his fists into the pockets of his trunks. "Keep your boots on, Kilowog, I'm coming!" _

_Tatsu glanced at Alfred worriedly, then at Bruce. _

"_Tatsu," Bruce gestured in the man's direction. "Follow me." _

_The two partners followed the drenched man at a distance, but walked just fast enough not to lose sight of him. Suddenly, the brown-haired man knelt so he was concealed from view behind a sand dune. Holding out his arm to restrain her from going any further, Bruce studied the hunches form._

_Following his example, Tatsu looked just in time to see a flash of green, then witness the man take off and… Fly? _

_Blinking several times, then looking up at the man flying off out of view, Tatsu couldn't help but wonder if she was hallucinating. Then, seeing Bruce's indifferent face and he turned to walk away, she realized: their teammate's arm was made of cement, she used to serve under a man that was over five centuries old, and they had just gotten done fighting a genetically engineered toad. A flying man just added to the fact the world was constantly getting weirder. _

**_August_**

_Batgirl wasted no time in throwing herself into the civilian. There had been no time to disarm Pyg, no time to attack him. Just enough time to leap into the woman and hit the ground. _

"_Think, Babs," she thought. "What would Batman do?" _

_Suddenly there was a whoosh of air, then a crash as a body collided with the trashcans in the alley. _

"_It's over Pyg!" _

_Looks like she didn't have to ask herself that. He was already here. _

_A hand took hold of her shoulder and yanked her off of the terrified woman below her. Sheepishly looking up, Batgirl realized she was staring at the one and only Katana. _

"_So Batgirl and Katana meet again," the swordmistress commented. "Are you two alright?" _

_Batgirl nodded, then turned to the woman, who was sitting up on her elbows, her eyes wild. Her head bobbed up and down a dozen times before she slid back, only to hit a lamppost. _

"_Don't worry," Katana whispered, almost comfortingly. "We aren't here to hurt you."_

_A half-hour later, Batman was taking Pyg to the police, instructing Katana to "take care of the rookie." The swordmistress did as she was told, but stopped suddenly in an alley. _

"_Hey," Katana whispered. "A little word of advice," she gestured to a lock of red hair falling out of her mask. "Make sure your hair is covered. There's only a few people in Gotham with hair like yours, Barbara." _

_Katana turned as if to walk away, then stopped. "And by the way, if you're going to stick with the bat theme, make it your own. Try purple. Black doesn't suit you." _

**_September_**

_It was raining that morning and no one was in a good mood. Bruce was semi-conscious from blood loss, Tatsu was ranting to Alfred about their run-in with Lady Shiva, and Jason was lying on the sofa, down again with one of his headaches. _

_Rex sat alone in the kitchen, nursing a luke-warm cup of coffee as he read the morning newspaper. Nothing new. Same number of banks robbed, same number of missing people, same old inmates breaking out of Arkham. _

_Gotham was terribly depressing. _

_He was drawn out of his thoughts by the doorbell. If it had been raining any harder against the windows, he wouldn't have heard it. Almost wishing he hadn't been the closet to the door, Rex rose to his feet and shuffled to the foyer. _

_Not even bothering to look through the peephole, Rex opened the door… Only to nearly be strangled by arms flying around his neck. _

"_Rex! Where have you been all these months? I was so worried!" _

_The element man stood frozen, his hands at his side, as Sapphire Stagg clung to him. _

"_W-What…." _

_Sapphire pulled away, clasped her hands awkwardly. "That… Must have looked weird," she didn't give him any chance to retort. "But look… I'm sorry." _

_Rex felt like his brain had turned off. She had been looking for him… But she had said no…_

_Was he in a coma? _

"_You come back to me after nearly ruining my life... And all you have to say is sorry," he looked at the ceiling. His mind wasn't working properly. _

_Sapphire sighed. "I have a lot more to say, too." _

_Rex didn't know if he was talking or not. "Then spit it out…" _

**_October_**

_Tatsu hated him. _

_No, that wasn't true. That. Was. Not. True. _

_She hated what he did to her. Or rather, what_ they_ did to her… Which made her hate them more. _

_In all honestly, she was a bucket of overflowing emotion right now. She wanted to grab onto something and rip it apart, then she wanted someone to hold her, then she wanted to sit back on her heels and cry her eyes out. _

_Then she thought she was being ridiculous and just went with her instinct. _

_She returned her sword to its hilt, walked the remaining distance that separated her and the green-eyed Jason…_

_And slapped him. _

"_You idiot!" she screamed, not caring that he was less than six inches from her. _

_Jason's lips turned upward in a malicious smile, unglazed by her sudden acts of violence. "Katana… Did you really think he would have left me so soon? His grip remains ever strong, impossible to sever." _

_That was it. Tatsu launched herself at him, dug her hands into his shoulders, attempting to knock him to the floor. He didn't budge, only stepped back. Taking hold of her waist, he tore Tatsu off of him, and threw her ten feet. _

_She landed on her back, feeling the wind painfully leave her. She was content then, content to lay there until she was dragged away or Bruce realized she was gone and came to rescue her. Either way, she was not going to fight on her own behalf. _

_There was an eruption of green in the corner of her vision. Cypher must have arrived. A tendril wrapped around her wrist, forcing her onto her knees. _

"_Katana." _

_Without his captive, Cypher's voice was purely robotic. It… frightened her. _

_What? _

"_No," Tatsu whispered aloud. "This ends now." _

_She stood up, took a look at Jason, who gazed steadily back at her, triumph in his eyes. "I know you're in there, Jason," she nodded determinedly. "You've fought him all this time. Fight more." _

"_He cannot hear you," Cypher said, his tendril tightening. _

_Tatsu shook her head. "I think he can." She walked up so they were only inches apart, ran her fingers down the side of his face. "Hear me now Jason. You're not gonna want to miss this," her gaze softened, and she searched his eyes, looking for a trace of blue. _

"_Jason…" _

_She stopped. It wasn't through the puppet that he would be released. It would be through the master. _

_Stepping away from Jason, Tatsu walked toward Cypher. His tendril was deathly tight on her wrist. _

"_I don't know for sure who you are, Cypher," she leaned in closer. "But judging by the fact you haven't killed me yet, I have a pretty good idea." _

_And then, bracing herself, she closed the gap. _

**_November_**

_Seven people sat across from each other at the table that Thanksgiving. Wayne Manor had not looked that happy in years. _

_As they all dove into the many dishes surrounding them, Bruce leaned closer to Alfred. _

"_Thank you," he said just loud enough for the elderly man to hear it. And Bruce meant it. More than he had ever thought possible. _

**_December_**

_The Christmas tree swayed, then steadied, then wobbled, then stood still. The residents of Wayne Manor all looked back at their handwork, smiled. It may have been a little top heavy due to the seven-pound angel and all, but the result was worth the ten minutes of wrestling with it. _

"_This is going to be interesting," Rex commented, thinking of how many rooms they still had to decorate before Bruce returned. _

_Alfred smiled, pulling his goddaughter into a hug. Tatsu blinked, but all the same relaxed into his embrace. "This," he whispered. "Is going to be wonderful." _

_The rest couldn't help but agree. _

* * *

At two minutes to Midnight, Bruce stood on the stage. "Happy 2014, everyone!"

The crowd erupted. Bruce began his speech, leaving the group to talk amongst themselves.

They had cleaned up rather nice for the occasion. Sapphire was even able to find Tatsu a dress she was happy with (or, at least could properly walk/breathe in).

The countdown screen began to blink. Thirty seconds. Alfred took a step out of harm's way, winking at Jason as if encouraging him.

Tatsu turned to the scientist, gripped onto his shoulders. "You really think I'd agree to kiss you?"

Jason gulped, let out a nervous laugh. "Maybe next year…?"

Tatsu shook her head, standing onto her tiptoes.

"Five…"

"Four…"

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One…"

**_"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"_**

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**A/N: WOW I GOT INTO THAT! Especially October, I was going nuts in front of this screen. Anyway, to each and every one of you, I have a good feeling about 2014!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


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